Top 5 New Birth Control Brands

When I first returned to the US and heard the TV commercial blurt out, "Have a Happy Period!", I couldn't believe my ears. Today, menstruation and all the accoutrements that go along with it, are on the same level with discussions about our favorite specialty coffee. Starbucks? Or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf? Condoms? Or implants?

In some ways, being more open about the choices we have for birth control is a good thing. Men and women both are less self-conscious about discussing them with their health care provider and each other. The information is out there for anyone to find and make the choice that's right for them.

One thing you should know about birth control pills is that they contain different amounts of estrogen and/or progestin, but they work in basically the same way. Pharmaceutical companies vary the molecular structure slightly in order to patent their own brand.

Technology is moving at warp speed, and at times it's hard to keep up with everything, so newer products sometimes go unnoticed or are misunderstood. This happens in the case of birth control methods, too.

Extended cycle birth control pills

There are several fairly new methods of contraception which are fantastic for reducing menstrual cycle related woes. If PMS, bloating and cramping are cramping your style, extended cycle pills might be the answer for you.

Seasonique (Barr Labs) and Lybrel (Wyeth) have continuous active cycle pills. There are no placebo intervals, which means no menstrual period for as long as you take them as directed.

Seasonale (Barr Labs), not to be confused with Seasonique, has 84 active cycle pills, followed by an interval with 7 placebo pills. The generics for Seasonale are Jolessa (Barr Labs) and Quasense (Watson).

Minipill (Progestin Only Pill or POP)

The "minipill" contains progestin only, and is designed for women who are breastfeeding or who have conditions that prevent them from taking estrogen. Some brand names are Micornor (Ortho), NorQD (Watson), and Ovrette (Wyeth).

The one drawback to the minipill is that they barely last 24 hours, so you need to be very careful to take the pill at the exact same time every day.

Birth control patch

Ortho Evra is an estrogen and progestin combination that seems like it would be the easiest, non-invasive method of all. The user applies a new patch once a week for three weeks, then skips a week. However, the FDA recently added a warning for patch users, advising of a higher risk of blood clots when using the patch as compared to pill users. The patch users also reported more side effects and gave up using the patch more frequently than pill users gave up using the pill because of side effects.

Vaginal Ring

NuvaRing (Organon) is a flexible piece of plastic tubing which is inserted into the vagina. It stays in place for three weeks, releasing hormones that prevent conception. The ring has seen increased popularity because there are fewer side effects than the patch and women don't need to attend to them daily. In spite of fewer overall side effects, there were more reports of vaginal irritation and discharge.

Implant

The implant can only be done by doctors and nurses who've been trained to insert it. Two popular implants are Implanon (Schering-Plough), which shouldn't be left in place more than 3 years, and Norplant (Wyeth), which is effective for 5 years. Both release a continuous high level of a synthetic version of progesterone, which tricks the body into thinking it's already ovulated.

Sources:

The Well-Timed Period http://thewelltimedperiod.blogspot.com/2007/08/7-birth-control-pill-brands-you-need-to.html

WebMD: Women's Health http://women.webmd.com/features/comparing-birth-control-pill-types-combination-minipills-more

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/story?id=2210820&page=1

Ortho Evra http://www.orthoevra.com/index.html

http://www.birth-control-comparison.info/patch.htm